Frontline Negotiators

Towards the end of 2024, we traveled to Panama to discuss with Andrehina Díaz about the complexities of negotiating in the context of migration flows through the Darien jungle. Andrehina shared her experience working with authorities, indigenous communities and migrants, facing multiple humanitarian challenges from building trust to implementing programs in an environment of increasingly pressing needs. A conversation that reveals how empathy, adaptability and cultural respect are essential in humanitarian negotiation. A finales de 2024, viajamos a Panamá para conversar con Andrehina Díaz sobre lo complejo que es negociar en el marco de los flujos migratorios que atraviesan la región del Darién. Andrehina compartió su experiencia trabajando con autoridades, comunidades indígenas y migrantes, enfrentando múltiples retos humanitarios, desde la creación de confianza hasta la implementación de programas en un entorno de necesidades cada vez más acuciantes. Una conversación que revela cómo la empatía, la adaptabilidad y el respeto cultural son esenciales en la negociación humanitaria. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org

Lorsque Mariama Sawadogo, humanitaire burkinabée et formatrice avec le CCHN, a constaté que très peu de femmes africaines participaient aux ateliers de négociation, elle a voulu en comprendre les raisons et y remédier. C'est ainsi que son atelier, conçu pour les professionnelles francophones en Afrique, a reçu un nombre record de 350 candidatures pour 50 places en seulement deux semaines. Dans cet épisode, elle aborde les obstacles qui empêchent les femmes professionnelles d'assumer des rôles de leadership dans la négociation humanitaire et les nombreux atouts inestimables qu'elles apportent au processus. When Mariama Sawadogo, a humanitarian from Burkina Faso and workshop facilitator with the CCHN, observed that very few African women were taking part in negotiation trainings, she took it upon herself to find the reasons behind it and come up with a solution. Her workshop, particularly aimed at French-speaking female professionals in Africa, received a record 350 applications for 50 spots in just two weeks. In this episode, she reflects on the obstacles that prevent women professionals from taking on leadership roles in humanitarian negotiation, and the many invaluable assets they bring to the process. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org

Please note that this episode was recorded in Spanish. Negociar con comunidades indígenas presenta desafíos únicos, desde barreras lingüísticas y culturales hasta la comprensión de sus sistemas organizativos y cómo conciben sus necesidades. En este episodio, exploramos cómo Jhon Dalton Jesus, un humanitario experimentado, ha enfrentado estos retos en América Latina, utilizando estrategias que fomentan la confianza y el entendimiento. Descubriremos sus métodos para entablar un diálogo respetuoso y eficaz, y cómo su enfoque ha facilitado el acceso y la colaboración en contextos complejos y de difícil acceso. Negotiating with indigenous communities implies particular challenges, from language and cultural barriers to understanding their societal system and how the community conceives their own needs. In this episode we will discover how Jhon Dalton Jesus, a seasoned humanitarian, strategically addresses these challenges by building trust and understanding with remote indigenous communities in Latin America. We will explore his methods for engaging in respectful and effective dialogue, and how his approach has facilitated access and collaboration in complex and difficult-to-reach contexts. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org

PLEASE NOTE: This episode's interview is in French. Search and Rescue operations at sea constitute a relatively new field in the humanitarian sector. Humanitarian negotiations in this domain tend to suffer from a limited 'room for manoeuvre' due to the maritime environment in which they take place, the actors involved, and the legal impediment increasingly posed by national authorities. Teams need to prepare strategically to reduce risks for their operations while complying with international and maritime law. This week we discuss with Carla Melki, an experienced humanitarian who shared about the many challenges of providing life-saving assistance at sea. This is part of the third season of "Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field". It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. More information at frontline-negotations.org La recherche et le sauvetage en mer constituent un créneau relativement nouveau dans le secteur humanitaire. Les négociations dans ce domaine sont particulières en raison de l'environnement dans lequel elles se déroulent, des acteurs impliqués, et des obstacles juridiques de plus en plus souvent posés par les autorités nationales. La capacité à préparer stratégiquement les équipes devient alors un facteur clé pour réduire les risques et maximiser la sécurité, tout en respectant les conventions internationales et le droit maritime. Nous en discutons avec Carla Melki, une humanitaire expérimentée à la fois sur terre et en mer, qui nous parle des défis liés à ce domaine.

A successful negotiation relies on strategy just as much as on the way you interact with others. "Soft" skills like emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and active listening can be powerful tools to connect with the counterpart and create a relationship of trust. In this episode we hear from Carol Torres Tovar about how she navigated complex negotiations by leveraging her body language, identity traits and communication skills. This is part of the second season of Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field. It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. frontline-negotations.org

'Red lines' are uncrossable limits you just can't push past. For humanitarian negotiators, red lines also define a delicate balance between upholding a mandate and compromising on the very principles this sector stands for. In this episode Marika Armento reflects on the challenge of negotiating on behalf of migrants and asylum seekers within the red lines set by ethical values, legal frameworks and humanitarian norms. This is part of the second season of Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field. It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. frontline-negotations.org We'll be back with our next episode in January 2024.

Sometimes negotiating means finding creative solutions to get around a deadlock. In this episode we hear from Rehan Zahid - Deputy Director of the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) - whose expertise is lent by our partner, the World Food Programme. Rehan has been involved with the CCHN since its creation. He has agreed to share some of the most interesting negotiation processes he experienced first-hand, when creativity really made a difference for many people in crisis. This is part of the second season of Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field. It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. frontline-negotations.org

When men in uniform stopped her at a checkpoint and refused to let her through, Raquel Moreno was quite surprised to see her fellow bus passengers step up to help. However, just a few years later, it was a group of civilians who blocked her truck and forced her team to flee, leaving all the humanitarian assistance behind. Whether as sympathetic allies, tough counterparts or go-betweens, local community members play a critical role in most humanitarian negotiations. Let's hear what Raquel has learned from her experience negotiating with and for people in crises. This episode is part of the second season of Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field. It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation.

People were quickly running out of water in a camp in Iraq. The tankers stopped getting in. The authorities were tense. That's when Precillar Moyo decided to sit down with her team, analyse the situation and come up with a negotiation strategy. In this episode, Precillar shares how teamwork and reflection can positively impact the outcome of any negotiation process. This is part of the second season of Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field. It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. frontline-negotations.org

Valerie Guarnieri is the Assistant Executive Director at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). In this episode, we talk to her about her first experiences negotiating on the ground, her many lessons learned, and the enormous challenge of setting up institutional policies and red lines for thousands of frontline negotiators all around the globe. This is part of the second season of Frontline Negotiators: Stories from the Field. It features personal stories told by humanitarian professionals as they negotiate to access, assist and protect people in crisis. Across the season you will hear first-hand accounts from humanitarian workers from different backgrounds, agencies, nationalities and technical profiles who will share about the challenge of delivering aid in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. The series is produced by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. frontline-negotations.org

Mariana Ariestyawati, from Indonesia, tells us how she used her interpreting skills in a time of crisis and helped her team build trust with people they had to negotiate with. In her career, she's been an interpreter and teacher. She started out in Journalism, where she realsed she was interested in humanitarian work.

Working in a European country in times of peace can be just as challenging as in any other crisis around the world. In this episode, we hear the story of medical doctor Apostolos Veizis, who returned to his native Greece after many years spent on humanitarian missions abroad. He tells us about negotiating with people escaping disasters and conflict, but also - and most importantly - with his own self.